A Love Song for Niles
by iloveromance
Summary: Embarrassed that her piano lessons from Niles ended in disaster, Daphne is determined to find a way to make him proud of her. AU "Bla-Z-Boy" and "First Date". Very long one-shot and a very early birthday gift for Baroness Blixen.


Daphne tossed and turned in her bed, pulling the comforter around her body, but the warmth did little to ease her trembling body. It was wrong, feeling this way, but the emotional state hung over her like a black cloud from which a storm would inevitably brew. But try as she might to push the unwanted emotions away, they remained stagnant.

Had she learned nothing from the disastrous attempts in Manchester? For eight long years she'd endured the wrath of a harsh and strict instructor who eventually became so fed up with her inability to learn that he'd left the profession all together. It was humiliating to say the least, but it was nothing in comparison to the lecture she received from her parents and the ridicule she endured from her brothers; eight of them ironically.

So what had suddenly possessed her to ask Niles to teach her how to play an instrument that he himself played so beautifully? She thought that this time would be different. Learning from Niles would be a wonderful experience, another way for them to bond their relationship, which was already more perfect than she could ever imagine.

Since they'd become a couple, he'd taught her so many things. Because of Niles, she knew about wine and operas, gourmet food, classical music and even styles of dress. And in turn, she felt that she knew him better than anyone. He was no longer someone who was vastly different in his tastes and opinions. He was someone who had the soul of an incredible man and she loved him with all of her heart. What better way to show him how much she loved him than to ask him to share even more of his knowledge with her?

But mastering the piano, even while sitting beside the man she loved, was much more difficult than it appeared. The moment their lessons began, things quickly fell apart. He treated her like a child… _a child_! Insisting on the use of a silly practice pad from which no musical notes would ever surface, and adhesive stars. Roz didn't seem to mind the treatment, but why should she? Roz Doyle, as it turned out, was a model student. The woman claimed to have never taken piano lessons before and yet had managed to learn a song… a _song_! Daphne would have given anything to learn a song. But Niles flatly refused.

Daphne could clearly remember how Niles had sat next to her at the piano, demonstrating the correct way to press the keys. _First_, he'd said… _You must dangle your fingers rapidly over the smooth ivory before touching the keys in any way._ As annoyed as Daphne was with his agonizing technique, she grinned when she realized that it was the perfect opportunity to seduce him. After all, what was sure to follow had to be more enjoyable than piano lessons. A rather humorous attempt on her part to seduce him had worked wonders, leading to a moment of passion that, had Roz not interrupted with her entrance, might have continued in Daphne's bedroom.

But like a wonderful dream that vanished before Daphne's eyes, Roz quickly became the model student proving to have mastered the piano in mere minutes. There was no hiding her jealousy and at that moment she hated her friend. It wasn't as though Roz and Niles were going to suddenly realize that they were meant for each other, but the ridiculous notion was still there, in the bottom of Daphne's heart.

And even after the lessons were over, Daphne could see the frustration t in Niles' eyes. Why had she admitted to taking eight years of lessons? She knew he was disappointed in her, something that she never in a million years dreamed would happen, even before she had any idea that he was secretly in love with her. Now, Daphne knew that the only way to win back his love was to show him that she was a good student.

She threw the comforter back from her body and swung her legs to the floor. Minutes later, wearing her robe and slippers, she padded into the living room. The condo was dark, save for the lights of the Space Needle and the Seattle skyline which created a romantic glow across Frasier's hardwood floor.

With a deep breath she walked further into the room and sat down on the piano bench, running her fingers across its smooth surface. It was terribly late; well past 2am, but she didn't care. She had to do this, or at least try.

As quietly as possible she lifted the piano key lid and moved her fingers across the ivory the way Niles had taught her, smiling at the tinkling random notes that resonated. But after a few minutes of this she grew bored. The heck with this! She wanted to play a song! If Roz could do it, Daphne certainly could. How hard could it possibly be?

She rose from the bench and opened the lid until she found a book entitled "Piano for Beginners." There must be something in the pages that she could play! Finally after thumbing through the many pages the title of a familiar song jumped out at her. It was like a sign… a vision. It was absolutely perfect and it was just the thing to make Niles fall in love with her again.

The song seemed easy enough, just a few random notes here and there. But as she began to play, the song sounded nothing like it was supposed to, not even close! She tried again and again, becoming lost in her efforts, therefore forgetting about the late hour. But each effort seemed to be a step backwards. How was it possible for a person to play worse after trying so hard?

The more she tried, the more her fingers trembled. And then came the trembling of her lower lip, followed by the hot tears that welled in her eyes. Finally when she could take it no more, she banged on the keys, casing a jarring sound that resonated throughout the living room and brought Frasier out of his sleep.

"Dear God, what on earth is going on in here? What is that horrible noise?"

And that's all it took for the dam to break.

Daphne began to sob, folding her arms across her forehead, dampening Frasier's beloved piano with her tears. She was so caught up in her humiliation that she barely noticed the warm weight of Frasier's hand on her back.

"Daphne, what are you doing in here? Was that you playing the piano? At this hour?"

She nodded, unable to move her head from her arms. "Yes!" She sobbed.

"It's almost 3 in the morning! What possessed you to-."

Finally her head snapped up and she turned to him, his features completely blurred. "I'm horrible!"

"Daphne, you're not_ horrible_. What are you talking about?"

"Me piano playing! It's horrible! I'm the worst player in the world, Frasier!" Just ask Niles or Roz!" When she began to sob harder, she found herself in Frasier's arms.

He rubbed her back while she dampened his blue terry cloth robe with her tears.

"Daphne, that's not true! You're a wonderful-well, you're…"

"I'm horrible! No wonder Niles is ashamed of me!"

Amazingly he smiled. "Ah… I see."

"What, you think this is funny? Bloody hell, I thought you were me friend!" Daphne cried, smacking him on the arm.

"I am your friend, Daphne. And I love you. But I think this is more than about playing the piano, isn't it?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Seems to me you're a little jealous of Roz's piano playing."

She gasped in mock horror. "What? That's ridiculous! I'm not-Oh who am I kidding, of course I'm jealous! Niles was supposed to be teaching me, not her! And I'm the one he was supposed to be proud of, not Roz!"

"Daphne, Niles is proud of you! How can you say that he's not?"

"Because, didn't you see the look on his face when I told him how long I'd taken piano lessons? He treated me like a bloody child!"

"Daphne-."

"Look, I'm sorry I woke you up, all right? I'm just glad your father's on a fishing trip so he doesn't have to be here to see this! I'll just go back to bed. Goodnight."

She rose from the bench but she felt his hand in hers.

"Daphne, wait!"

She turned to him in surprise. "Frasier, please don't give me one of your bloody psychiatric talks where we get everything out in the open and analyze it. I'm a horrible piano player, don't you understand that? I'm _awful_! I'm-."

"You're not horrible. And the fact that you're trying so hard to learn to play at this hour of the morning says a lot. You must really love Niles."

She sniffled as more tears fell onto her cheeks. "I love him with me whole heart! He's my whole world, Frasier! I never thought I could feel this way about anyone! I-."  
>Frasier smiled. "You've made Niles so happy, Daphne. You must know that. I've never seen him so happy before and for that I'm extremely grateful to you. You are truly a godsend."<p>

Overcome with emotion, she hugged him tightly, sobbing into his robe once more. "I love you, Frasier."

"I love you too, Daphne. And that's why I'm going to stay here with you ,for the rest of the night, until you have mastered a song."

She raised her head and looked at him in disbelief. "What? But that will take hours!"

"Well, then we'll just have the pleasure of each other's company, won't we? Now, what song should we work on? I think -."

_"Heart and Soul_." She said quickly.

He looked at her in surprise. "Well, that's a rather simple song and not very complex. Wouldn't you rather learn something more difficult, such as-."

"It's our song. Niles and mine."

The words surprised her, and she realized there was an element of truth to her statement. But once more, Frasier was surprised. "Really? Well, he never mentioned it before."

She smiled, slightly embarrassed by the unexpected admission. "I know. It's silly, but we sang it while we were chopping vegetables."

Frasier's eyebrows rose. "Oh, well, that's…"

"For his date with Phyllis."

Now her boss chuckled, confusing her even further. "Right… Phyllis. I'd forgotten about that."

"I felt so horrible for Niles, being rejected like that! How could that woman lead him on and then just stand him up? After all the trouble we went to? But I couldn't believe it when he asked me to have dinner with him. It was wonderful."

Again Frasier chuckled, causing her heart to sink. He was laughing at her!

"What's so bloody funny?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing. All right, Daphne Moon. If you want to learn to play Heart and Soul, trust me in a few hours, you'll be playing it better than Chopin."

"The one who played the Minute Waltz?"

"Why yes!" Frasier replied, obviously impressed with her knowledge. "My, Niles certainly has taught you a lot, hasn't he?"

She lowered her head and sighed. "Except to play the piano."

"Now, don't worry about a thing. Why don't we get to work?"

They began immediately, playing the song again and again until the notes began to fall into place. Amazingly he was as patient as Niles had been when teaching her to play; encouraging, offering praise and the occasional hug when she'd shown signs of improvement. And they were barely aware of the sun that had risen over the skyline until the doorbell rang.

"I wonder who that could be at this hour?" Frasier asked, glancing at the clock. "Dear God, have we really been at this for over five hours? It's almost 8'o clock!"

Daphne gasped and rose from the bench. "Oh no… I'll fix your breakfast right away, Dr. Crane! I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be. It was a pleasure teaching you. Now let me just see who's at the door and then we'll continue, if you like."

She watched as Frasier crossed the living room and went to the foyer opening the door. The sight made her heart flutter.

"Niles…"

"Well, Niles what are you doing here so early?"

He smiled and walked into Frasier's apartment, apparently unaware of Daphne's presence. "It is early, Frasier and I'm sorry. I just had to show you this.. It was in this morning's paper. We simply must attend this opera! It opens on the 24th and the tickets go on sale tomorrow. It's only playing in the Seattle area for a limited run and-." He paused when he noticed Daphne standing by Martin's chair. "Daphne.."

At once they went to each other, hugging and kissing in greeting before Daphne spoke first. "Hello, Darling."

"What are you doing up so early?"

Frasier chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "Actually we've been up for hours. Daphne's been working extremely hard and I'm very proud of you."

Daphne went to Frasier and kissed his cheek. "I can't thank you enough for this."

"Oh, well like I said, it was my pleasure. But now I should go to bed. I have to be at work in six hours."

"What about your breakfast?"

"I'll just make something when I get up. Goodnight, Daphne. Niles…"

"Night, Frasier."

Frasier paused in the doorway. "Oh, Niles? I'm glad you're here and we'll definitely talk about attending that opera. It sounds wonderful. But speaking of wonderful, Daphne has a surprise for you."

Daphne suddenly felt self-conscious. "Frasier, I don't think-."

"Daphne, don't worry about a thing. It will be perfect! Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Frasier."

When Frasier was gone, Daphne smiled shyly and kissed Niles without reserve. "Well, this is certainly a surprise. I didn't expect to see you so early."  
>Niles grinned and hugged her tightly. "If I had known I would have gotten this kind of greeting, I would have been over hours ago."<p>

The romantic moment shattered, Daphne looked down at her feet. "Oh… well, I'm glad you didn't."

"What?"

She shook her head, wishing that she hadn't said anything. "Nothing, never mind. But about what Frasier said-."

"Oh, right. You have something to show me? I can hardly wait to see what it is."

"All right, then come with me."

She took his hand and led him to the piano and then sat down on the bench. "It's not perfect, but-."

"Daphne, what are you doing?"

She took a deep breath and poised her fingers over the keys, the way Frasier had taught her. And then as though she'd been playing the song her entire life, she began to press the keys, amazed at the way the notes fit together so easily to form such a beautiful song. She played contentedly, feeling as though she was the only one in the room and when the last note was played, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

And then she daringly looked at Niles, who had tears in his eyes. The sight made her heart skip a beat.

"Well, what did you think?"  
>His mouth was open in what could only be stunned amazement and she braced herself for his response. "Daphne, that was…. H-how did you possibly-."<p>

"Your brother taught me. I'm afraid I was feeling a bit down about how badly our piano lessons went, and Niles, I'm sorry about that. I loved having you teach me, but I knew if I didn't try…" She was crying now, unable to stop her tears and he sat down beside her.

"Daphne-."

"I-I just wanted you to be proud of me."

He cradled her face in his hands and kissed her, brushing the tears from her cheeks. "Daphne I _am_ proud of you. I've always been proud of you."

"Really? But my horrid piano playing-."

"Daphne, not everyone is meant to play the piano and I'm sorry if I was a bit frustrated when I was teaching you."

"Well, you had good reason. I mean who takes piano lessons for eight years and still can't play a bloody song? And then Roz… you were so proud of her-."

"Stunned is more like it. Who knew that Roz Doyle could play anything other than the Dating Game?"

They laughed, hugging each other tightly. "I love you, Niles."

"I love you too, Daphne. And I can't thank you enough for that beautiful song."

"You really liked it?"

"It was perfect. The most beautiful song I've ever heard. Absolutely magnificent. And it's a beautiful song, but why-."

"Because it's our song."

"What?"

She sighed and laughed softly. "I know it's silly but ever since that night in your kitchen when we were chopping vegetables…"

"Oh right… For my date with Phyllis."

"Yes, with Phyllis. Niles, I'm sorry she rejected you like that. It's silly to be saying that now, but I did feel bad for you. And I don't think I ever thanked you for asking me to stay for dinner."

"Daphne, about that."

"Yes?"

"There's something I never told you… something I should have said a long time ago."

"Well, why don't you tell me now?"

He let out a long breath. "All right. That night that you offered to come and help me make dinner for my date with Phyllis. The truth was…. There was no date."

"What?"

"The truth was that when you walked into the kitchen and overheard Frasier and I talking and I said I was in love with someone… that someone was you, Daphne. It's always been you."

The realization struck her and she knew that she shouldn't have been surprised, but tears filled her eyes just the same. "You mean… all of that… the dinner, wine… everything… was for me?"

"You're the one I've always loved. I know there was Maris and Mel, but the moment I laid eyes on you, something happened to me. I-."

She silenced him with deep, tender kisses that came from the depths of her heart. Just when she thought she couldn't love this man more he'd proven her wrong. And when the kisses ended, he brushed the tears from her cheeks.

"Well, you probably need to get to work, don't you?"

"Actually, I think I'd rather spend the day with you." He said. "I'll have Mrs. Woodson reschedule my appointments and I'm sure she'd like to have the day off. With pay of course. She deserves it."

Daphne smiled and kissed his soft lips. "You're a wonderful man and I love you so much."

"I love you too, Daphne. Now, I'll just be a minute."

"Would you like some breakfast?"

"No thank you. I'm all right for now."

"Why don't we sit on the sofa?"

"That sounds wonderful."

While Niles made his phone call, Daphne went to the sofa and sat down, settling herself against the sofa cushions. Minutes later he returned and gathered her into his arms, where they shared a few more kisses before she leaned into his chest, lulled to sleep by the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. This man… this wonderful man, whom she loved with all of her heart and soul.

THE END


End file.
